Two Birds
Talonfang, a promising warrior since she was a kit, and Creekfrost, a lesser cat among PebbleClan, were very close while growing up. But a curse within Talonfang awakens and their relationship begins to crumble into dust... PebbleClan is soon in great danger, and Creekfrost must find a way to stop his sister and save his Clan /Spoilers & Trivia/ ''' Fans i saw other people do this, so whhy not?? write below this heading if you're a fan! Allegiances '''PebbleClan: Leader: : Ravenstar - black tom Deputy: : Dustclaw - dusky brown tabby Medicine cat: : Applepad - reddish tabby Warriors: : Sharptalon - long-haired black tom : Frostshine - white she-cat : Featherheart - dull gray she-cat : Redfur - russet tom : Frostwing - pale gray she-cat : Eagleclaw - gray tabby tom : Lavendersong - blue gray she-cat : Lilacheart - lilac tabby tom Apprentices: : Streampaw - gray tabby tom : Mountainpaw - brown tabby Queens: : Frostshine - See in warriors. Mother to Wispkit and Flightkit; fostering Talonkit and Creekkit : Fireflight - ginger tabby. Mother of Slatekit, Hawkkit, and Falconkit Kits: : Wispkit - ginger and white tabby she-cat : Flightkit - light gray and white tom : Talonkit - tall, thick-furred speckled gray she-cat : Creekkit - small black tom : Stonekit - mottled gray she-cat : Hawkkit - dark brown tabby tom : Falconkit - ginger and white tom LeafClan: Leader: : Specklestar - prickly brown and white tabby Deputy: : Hollowstream - dark brown tabby tom Medicine cat: : Willowheart - dark gray tabby she-cat Apprentices: : Sandpaw - sand colored tom Kits: : Swampkit - brown tabby she-cat StreamClan: Leader: : Reedstar - ruddy ticked she-cat Apprentices: : Firepaw - white tom with a ginger splash on his chest Prologue : The night was quiet and dark, the only sound was a soft wind blowing through the treetops. Huddled beneath a thicket of bracken were two tiny kits, who could hardly walk. They stared with wide eyes as snow began to fall gently to the ground. The tiny black tom shivered, teeth chattering. In response, the gray speckled she-kit climbed on top of him flattening him to the ground, trying to cover him as much as she could. His coat was short; hers was fluffy, she knew she would be okay in the cold wind, but her brother may be another story. : "Where's mama?" asked the tom, voice quiet, more a whisper then a real voice. The she-kit kept her pale eyes on the snow as it fell, the flakes becoming fatter with each passing minute. "She's dead, Creekkit," she said simply. The scene from the night before flashed back to her. : Talonkit and Creekkit were hiding, their mother had put them under a tree root as she heard someone coming. It had been so dark... she couldn't make out who or what it was. All she remembered were the fangs flashing in the little light there was, and then the sound of a hoarse cry of pain, then a strange sharp scent hit the air. : "Run!" she had said, shoving Creekkit, who stumbled at the force. It hurt her so much to leave her mother... but she knew she and her brother couldn't stay. Her mothers cries had stopped, her hoarse breathing stopping as she and her brother ran as fast as their wobbly little legs could carry them. : Whatever the thing was that killed their mother, it hadn't followed. They had walked as far as they could, until their legs were too cold and tired to feel anymore. They found the thick clump of bracken which they were in at the moment. It looked safe and welcoming. : Creekkit couldn't seem to accept the fact their mother was gone. He repeatedly asked Talonkit where she was, and she always gave him the same answer. He breathed heavily for a few moments then drifted into sleep. Perhaps he lost memory of what happened while he was asleep. Talonkit had stayed awake, and alert ever since they had ran away from the scene. : Would Creekkit be next? He was very tiny and frail compared to her, and she couldn't sit on him forever. He would probably freeze to death, or starve. Talonkit wiggled around, a determined look plastered on her face. Not on my watch. I'll keep him alive. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't. '' : But as the hours went by, Talonkit began to feel weak and tired, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She dozed off. Her dreams filled with the unholy memories of her mothers shrieks and gasps for air. Had she drowned in her own blood? Who had killed her? And why? A crunchingg noise made Talonkit's ears twitch, it was annoying to listen to. She assumed it was just her dreams, so she kept her eyes lightly shut, but was soon proved wrong by Creekkit nudging her with a tiny black paw. : "There's something outside!" he said, blue eyes wide with fear. Talonkit's heart thudded. She heard the deep breathing and stomping of something much bigger then her outside, and it was coming closer. She thought she could hear voices, but she couldn't make them out. "Stay behind me. I'll protect you," Talonkit said, standing in front of her brother who peered over her shoulder. : The voices became clearer, and she could see the figures of creatures through the haze of snow. More then one. "... I swear I smell kits..." said one, light sounding, it sounded like a she-cat. Talonkit hated the way it reminded her of her mothers voice. : The steps grew ever so louder and a figure suddenly loomed in front of the bracken, it's head lowering and green eyes meeting her own. "Here! You're right, there ''are kits!" called the cat who stood in front of her, a young tabby tom. Three sets of extra footsteps came crunching over and before she even knew it, a slender head was poking into the den and grabbing her scruff, hauling her away from Creekkit. "No!" she yowled, flailing her paws. : "Ooh! We got a fiesty one!" said the muffled voice of her attacker, sounding far too loud next to her little ears. And was she'' laughing? '' What was funny about savagely yanking her away from her brother? Her flailing started to slow, as her legs began to ache. She looked around. Four attackers! Could she take them on? : "Easy now," said a deeper voice, and she turned her gaze to a lilac tabby. As the she-cat carried her longer, she began to go limp, the fight melting from her. Before she knew it, they were carrying her through the thick blizzard. She was too tired to fight... : She slipped from a doze every now and then. She looked over to another cat. In her jaws was the black figure of Creekkit. Would these cats take them to safety? Or would they die? Chapter 1 : A cold wetness made Creekkit's eyes blink open. He reeled back, rubbing his nose, looking around in confusion. He realized it was just water dripping through the roof of the nursery. He relaxed a bit and went off into a doze. It was Newleaf. He had never seen the forest alive and and green before. He constantly dreamed of what it was like to feel warm for once. : Four moons had passed since he and Talonkit had joined the Clan. PebbleClan. When they first got to camp, Talonkit had woken up and started hitting every cat she saw, but she soon relaxed when they were given food. She slowly warmed up to her new Clanmates. Creekkit had enjoyed the Clan cats when he first joined, but over the past few moons they didn't seem as kind as that night in the snowy forest. : A sharp pain hit his cheek and his tiny body tumbled with the force. He lie on his belly, staring up with wide eyes at the older kit, Wispkit, at her side was Flightkit. "Wake up, stupid! It's like... sunhigh!" Wispkit said, harshly. Creekkit got to his paws as they abandoned him to go outside the nursery. He looked around, looking bewildered with what had happened. He had a feeling why Wispkit and Flightkit weren't very pleased with him. Their mother, Frostshine, was Creekkit and Talonkit's foster mother, and he and Talonkit were younger, so they got all the attention; at least Talonkit did. : He pulled himself over the ridge of the mossy nest, grunting with effort, then plopped down on the other side, looking so proud. He scampered out of the nursery, so fast he didn't notice what was happening around him. He tripped and fell face first into a mud puddle. He lifted his head, blinking the muddy water from his eyes. He sat in the middle of a huge puddle, and when his gaze searched the camp, he realized the whole floor was covered in the big puddles. : He stood up; he was belly deep in the mud-water and half swam, half walked out, he looked more dark brown then black, and he shook out his dirty fur. Once he felt clean enough, he looked around with amazement. The trees that stood tall and strong above the camp had little green buds of life growing on them, and water dripped down onto his forehead from the melting snow. : "Lower your tail." : Creekkit's head snapped over to the boulder where the medicine cats den was. A few paces away from it was Mountainpaw, with Stonekit, Falconkit, Talonkit, Wispkit, and Flightkit all crouching eagerly, they were practicing the hunters crouch. Creekkit twitched with excitement and scampered over, paddling throw the puddles. By the time he reached the bigger cats, they were all staring at him. Falconkit and Stonekit, giggling. : "...As I was saying...," Mountainpaw began, slowly removing his amber gaze from Creekkit to focus on the other kits. "Keep your -" : "Can I try?" : Mountainpaw's eyes closed and he slowly looked back at Creekkit, who had interrupted him, looking up at the apprentice eagerly. Wispkit and Flightkit let out quiet moans, and Creekkit wondered why. : Talonkit hushed the two kits with a threatening glare and turned a much softer, warmer gaze to Creekkit. "Of course you can!" : Creekkit hurried over to join the group, standing next to Talonkit. Rolling his eyes, Mountainpaw began. "As I was saying... Keep your tail still and just above the ground," he said, crouching down and doing exactly he said with his own tail. "Remember to bring all of your weight to your hindlegs, then let it flow through you with the pounce, and then in the end, it'll all be in your front paws, smashing down on your prey." : All the kits lowered themselves, and Creekkit followed their led, suddenly wondering if they were all near the medicine den for a reason... He ignored that and focused on trying to keep his twitching tail still, which he failed, and it twitched even more, brushing the dead leaves that still lie on the ground from Leaf-fall, making loud crackles. Wispkit cast him a sidelong glare with her amber eyes. : Talonkit looked at his tail, then placed hers beneath his, so that when it flicked around, it hit her fluff instead of sending leaves flying around. Creekkit shot her a grateful look, and Wispkit, looking towards their tails snorted and reeled back. "Creekkit's cheating!" : Mountainpaw let out a sigh. "Why am I training kits? It's impossible! I'm going hunting," he said, briskly, then trotted quickly away from the kits, and brushed through the gorse entrance of the camp. Creekkit relaxed his tense muscles as he lifted himself up from the crouch. What happened? : Flightkit let out an 'ugh', lashing his gray patched tail. Wispkit whipped her head back to Creekkit, her eyes as cold as ice. "Now look what you've done!" : Creekkit stared at her. "What did I do?" he asked, eyes clouded with confusion. "What happened?" : Wispkit twitched a whisker. "You were cheating. ''You're supposed to keep your tail still on your own, not have your sister muffle the noise for you," she growled, her marble striped pelt prickled irritably. Creekkit blinked. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't reali -" : "He ''wasn't ''cheating. I was the one who helped him, so I'm the one who cheated," Talonkit cut him off, her own speckled pelt bristling. Wispkit studied Talonkit. Talonkit was much larger then her, taller, and stronger. After a few moments looking the gray she-cat over, Wispkit let her pelt relax. "Of course. You're right. I guess it's not a big deal... you were just trying to help him," she said, voice as smooth as honey, but her eyes scorched Creekkit's pelt. She was still angry at him, he was sure. But she knew she wouldn't stand a chance fighting Talonkit. : Talonkit let her own pelt relax, and her anger was quickly gone. "Okay, we're all cool then," she said, sitting down with a splash on the wet ground. They all sat in an awkward silence after this, for about ten minutes, until Stonekit shyly got to her paws. "I'm going to go take a nap..." she said, eyeing the others as if they would be offended. Falconkit quickly followed his sister. "Yeah, me too, some weird stuffs going down right now," he said, loudly, then hurried to the nursery with Stonekit in the lead. : Flightkit let out a quiet snort. "I'm going to eat," he announced, taking off before anyone could reply. Talonkit still sat in her muddy place, looking a bit downcast, as if she felt guilty for driving the other kits away. Only Wispkit remained, who soon nodded coolly and followed her brother. : Creekkit felt guilt biting his fur. If he had never joined in with the training, this would never have happened. "I'm sorry," he said softly to Talonkit, avoiding her pale eyes. Talonkit snorted a laugh. "Sorry for what? There's not even such thing as cheating by taking someone's help. It was your first time. Wispkit's just stupid and jealous." : Creekkit looked up at her, his sad eyes alight with surprise. "Why would she be jealous of me? I'm the smallest kit in all of the Clans, I'm not a good fighter... I don't have many friends.. I only have you." : Talonkit whipped her tail. "Stop yapping nonsense! None of that's important," she reassured. "She's jealous because you get all of Frostshine's attention." : Creekkit frowned. "But Frostshine doesn't like me. She only pays attention to me because Ravenstar and Applepad make her," he said, feeling ruffled by how truthful his words were. Frostshine never liked him that much... he assumed it was because he was a loner kit before, but then again... she didn't seem to have a problem with Talonkit. : Talonkit let out an annoyed hiss. "Frostshine does like you. She just has a hard time showing it... " : "Yeah, I guess you're right," Creekkit put on the brightest face he could mange, which wasn't that good. He didn't want Talonkit to worry about him. It seemed like all she ever did was worry over him, or try to protect him... He was really thankful for her support, but it seemed like that was all she was when she was with him; a body guard. He wanted her to focus on her own life... not his... maybe she could give him a chance to defend himself for once... Chapter 2 :After their talk, Creekkit had retreated to the nursery, leaving Talonkit alone. She knew he was unhappy about something. Was it something she said? Something she did? Was he even mad at ''her? ''Was it Wispkit? If it was Wispkit, Talonkit would go beat her up, she needed to just leave Creekkit alone. Oooh poor Wispkit, her mom didn't pay a ton of attention to her, she could always just ''talk ''to Frostshine about that, instead of picking on Creekkit. Unless Wispkit wasn't even jealous... :Wispkit was strange to her, Flightkit too. They were really cool to hang out with, and fun, but when Creekkit showed up, they lost their friendliness. Did they just not like Creekkit? Why didn't they? He was so nice and sweet... Did they not like him because he was small...? Well, if that was the case, she'd still beat them up. Size didn't matter, it's someone's personality that really counts. :As Talonkit stood thinking, she heard yowling coming from the nursery. She saw a black blur fly out of the nursery, mewling with terror or pain. She instantly knew it was Creekkit. He seemed to have no idea where he was, or where he was going, he ran right out of the camp entrance, into the forest. :Talonkit's gaze trailed after him, expecting some warriors to go after him, but to her amazment, the few who were in camp didn't move. In fact, they were sleeping. Most of the warriors must be outside camp... :Anger bubbled inside her, threatening to spill over. Warriors had a duty to protect their Clan, not lay around all day sleeping. They should have been awake, paying attention. ''Stupid young warriors! ''She thought with a hiss. :Pushing her anger at the adults aside, she realized she had no idea why Creekkit had acted out in the first place. Insantly, Wispkit and Flightkit came to mind. She scanned the clearing, and not to her surprise, they were no where to be seen. They must have crawled into the nursery to torment him, while Talonkit had her back turned. :Yet again, her rage threatened to boil over and she had to dig her claws deep into the ground and gride her teeth to stop herself from smashing through the nursery wall and killing the two idiots. Her muscles ached and twitched, from forcing them to not spring into action. ''I'll gut them... I'll rip their teeth out and line my claws with them! :She let herself relax a little and took deep breaths, hoping that would help the fury die. Later... I have... to find Creekkit... ''She thought, grunting. :Talonkit sprang to her paws and headed for the camp entrance, a determined and harsh look on her face. She brushed through the gorse entrance, not flinching as thorns dug deep into her skin and snagged her pelt, and not caring if anyone saw her. All that was on her mind was Creekkit. ''And vengence. :Talonkit scanned the forest with her pale orbs, trying to spot any sigh of her brother. She didn't care this was her first time out of camp. She day dreamed of this moment ever since she was told 'kits are not allowed to leave camp', but none of it mattered anymore. The only thing in the world that mattered was finding Creekkit. :She spotted nothing that betrayed him being nearby, so Talonkit opened her jaws and drew in gulp of air. At once she caught of whiff of Creekkit's sweet scent and set off toward the clump of bracken it was coming from. The scent was too faint for him to be hiding right in the bush, so he must be farther out in the woods. :As she walked, Talonkit tried to keep her focus on Creekkit, but her muscles still trembled with the anger, and they were screaming for her to turn around and face the other kits. :Her vision began to blur, then she was stumbling and fell onto the muddy ground, jaw clinched tight. A voice at the back of her head yowled to her, encouraged her to turn back. Fight them. They hurt someone you love. Punishment must come first. A harsh bloodly punishment. :No...! '' Talonkit thought back, agruing with thoughts. She made no move to go back, she was too stubborn. ''Go kill them! Wipe them off the face of the earth! :And her thoughtful voice continued with some even more awful words. Talonkit squeezed her eyes shut, then she became deaf to the ringing in her ears, it sounded like a mix of a million voices all yowling at once, her head felt like it was going to explode. :"No!" Talonkit snarled, tearing her eyes open, and letting her patted down strength rush out as she lashed out a paw that was too big for her body, with claws to big too keep sheathed, into the air, as if she could rip her thoughts to pieces. :She reared up and lashed out more angrily at the air with both massive paws. The corners of her vision were dark and foggy as she turned to rake her claws down a birch by her side. The feel of her claws slicing through it made her feel satisfied, and as suddenly as the rageful strength came, it ebbed away, along with her breath. She lowered her body to the ground, her legs too wobbly and weak to support her, sucking in short, quick breaths. :She closed her eyes, now less tight. All at once her strength had vanished to nothing. She stood up, her head spinning for a moment. :Then Talonkit stood up straighter, her legs still trembling a little, but she felt a little better. She turned her wide head to look at the birch tree. She couldn't help but let her mouth part open with shock as she saw the huge, ugly scars in the crumbly bark. She raised the paw she had slashed at it with, stretched her toes, and extended her claws to examine them. :Chunks of the speckled bark were trapped between her talon like claws, but besides that, there was nothing else. No broken or chipped claws to betray she had done it. Those claw marks were very deep... and the bark of this tree may be easily damaged, but the marks were deep in the wood beneath. Normal kits couldn't do that as simpliy as she had. :Talonkit pulled out the bark between her claws then stood up to finish her quest to find Creekkit, though she was still uneasy with the anger that seemed to control her, how she could be so... destructive. :She pushed her worries away when she spotted tiny pawprints in the ground. She drew in a quick breath and a strong whiff of Creekkit's scent flooded her jaws. She hurried after the trail through the undergrowth and tripped over something. Her face landed in a mud puddle and once again her anger boiled back up. It would take days to clean her fur! :Talonkit flew to her paws and whipped around with bared teeth, ready to maul the root that tripped her, then she lashed out a paw. "Ow..." she heard another voice and her anger subsided when she made out Creekkit's little black form blending into the shadows beneath her paws. :"Oh, Creekkit! Creekkit! I found you!" Talonkit murmered and scrambled down to his level to give his pelt a sniff, which was ragged and snagged with thorns. She scented blood. "Oh, you're hurt! What happened?" :Creekkit pulled himself farther under the brambles and peered out at her with ice-colored eyes, wide and wary. "Your claws scratched me," he stated, quiet and simple. :Talonkit's relief faded and was replaced with guilt when she realized what she had done. He looked up at her with wary eyes. He had never looked at her like this before... She couldn't bare it... "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she cried, suddenly losing control of her emotions and buried her narrow muzzle into his feather soft fur. :Don't look at me like that! Why are you? I didn't mean to hurt you! Stop doing that! I'm not mad. I'm not a monster. :Creekkit's tense muscles relaxed. "It's okay," he said softly, then pulled himself away from her runny nose and stood up. "It's not a bad one anyway..." he added, flicking his ear, scattering scarlet raindrops. :Talonkit looked in horror as she saw it was his ear. His ear was torn. She ripped his ear! She started sobbing again. "Stop crying, Talonkit. It's just an ear. It'll probably grow back," he said, with a hopeful swish of his long tail, but his eyes betrayed his doubt. :I've ruined him! I'm bad! I'm a bad cat! ''she thought, still snuffling. Creekkit's pelt pressed against her shoulder and after a few minutes, Talonkit settled a little. "It's okay, Talonkit," he whispered in her ear. She knew he was very concerned about her right now. She could even smell it. He had never seen her lash out before, and then have a breakdown. : Rustling of bracken and brambles made both of them jump with surprise and fear, which was followed by an annoyed voice calling their names. Both kits didn't move. Talonkit had forgotten that no one knew they had left camp - at least no one ''had. : After a moment, Talonkit realized it was Frostshine. "Come on," Talonkit told her brother in a stronger, commanding voice and led the way towards their foster mothers voice. We're going to be in trouble. :*** :Talonkit now lay in the nursery, exhuasted from the long trek outside camp. Creekkit was in the medicine den, having his ear treated. Besides his ear, Applepad said he was fine. Frostshine had been relieved and angry when Talonkit and Creekkit found her, then she took them back to camp without any word. She demanded what happened. Creekkit had been frozen with fear, so Talonkit answered for him. :"I left camp and Creekkit came out to bring me back," she had lied. :Talonkit didn't want Creekkit to be in anymore trouble then he already was in. Frostshine said they were both idiots, along with rolling her eyes. Talonkit had been punished, and was not allowed to leave the nursery for two days, only to use the dirtplace. Talonkit turned an icy glare on Wispkit and Flightkit who were cuddled up together in their own nest. They kept glancing over at her, realized she was looking, let out a peep, then hid their faces. They were scared. Of her. :They should be. :A patrol had came back eariler, reporting of claw marks on a birch not far away. "A badger must have made those things!" one had said. "Why would a badger be clawing trees?" asked another. "There was no badger scent," claimed another. "I don't care what it was, just keep the patrols alert when leaving camp," said Ravenstar. :Talonkit closed her eyes, trying to let herself relax and fall asleep. :Yes. It was just a badger... Chapter 3 :The ground was no longer muddy, but now lush and green with moss and grass. The trees were at last full and rustled as a soft breeze blew through their tops. The sunlight was dappled against his pelt as the black apprentice left the elders den with old, dry, stinky moss. Creekpaw had recently recieved his apprentice name, along with Talonpaw. The other kits who were his denmates were now apprentices as well - so still they were his denmates. :As the moons passed, Wisppaw and Flightpaw didn't bother him as much, they were probably too busy with apprentice tasks, he was thankful of that. :Since becoming apprentices about a moon ago, Creekpaw and Talonpaw rarely saw each other. His heart ached as he thought of those days as kits where every moment in a day was spent together. The day he had ran out into the woods and she came to rescue him, she never seemed the same. She was more distant with him... At least she seems to have found her place in the Clan. ''He thought, quietly, as he padded out of the gorse entrance of the camp and dropped the old moss in a ditch. :Talonpaw had become quite famous very fast. She caught the most prey compared to her other denmates. She did the best at battle-training, and she even knew some herbs. :''I wish I could be as good as her. ''Creekpaw thought to himself. He wasn't as good at his training as his sister. He always found himself having trouble focusing on his mentor, and the tiniest things distracted him. When he hunted, he always stepped on a twig, or jerked because he couldn't take being still for so long, his muscles felt like they would burst if he didn't twitch. :Battle-training was no better. He didn't like to think about it. His mentor, Redfur, was quite harsh. When Creekpaw got too distracted or failed to perfect the move his few tries, Redfur sent him to clean the elders bedding, or pick ticks off of them with mouse-bile. Or he would swipe Creekpaw, with unsheathed claws. :Creekpaw didn't like to be swiped, but he never argued or fought back because he knew he couldn't beat Redfur. As for taking care of the elders, he didn't mind at all, in fact he sometimes took care of them when the other apprentices were supposed to. He enjoyed listening to their tales and life stoires; not to mention they looked at him like any other cat. They didn't think he was weaker then the rest of his Clanmates, or stupid... they just looked at him as a nice, normal apprentice. :Also, after taking on the other apprentices chores, they seemed to be taking a bit of a shining towards him. ''"You're great at making nests!" "You're really good at cleaning!" ''they would say. And he was happy, even if they were lying to him, which he didn't think they were, that they said that. It made him feel valued and helpful. If he couldn't hunt or fight, then he'd clean and care for the Clan within their own camp. :''Maybe I should become a medicine cat. ''He thought to himself, as he padded past a swath of ferns and stopped at a rotting oak, where huge clumps of moss clung from branches, all the way to the ground. A medicine cat sounded interesting. Maybe he could watch Applepad sometime... :But as a medicine cat, he would have to guide his Clan, along with being almost as important as their leader. He'd have to remember the names of every herb out there, their uses... :Creekpaw's white whiskers dropped as he frowned. He couldn't become a medicine cat. It would be too hard. If he made a mistake, his whole Clan could die. :Shaking his head, he began carefully cutting the moss with his claws, then lifted them from the ground, until he had a big pile. :Creekpaw carried a few trips back to camp, but there was still a ton of it. He sighed at the thought of running back over there fifty more times. :"Hello, Creekpaw," came a quiet voice, which sent him leaping in the air with surprise and terror. ''I did something wrong! Someone's attacking! '' :He darted his head around, trying to spot who was attacking, when a gentle tail brushed his shoulder. He turned his attention to the mottled tabby next to him, her amber eyes meeting his blue ones. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you," Stonepaw spoke as if she were speaking to a cornered mouse. :"O-oh, o-okay. What do you n-need?" Creekpaw asked, still jittery. :Stonepaw removed her tail from his shoulder and glanced off into the sky, standing as still as stone, with an almost wondering look in her eyes."You've come in and out of camp many times now... I was thinking you may need some help. Your job will be done much faster," she offered, without removing her gaze from the sky. :Creekpaw glanced at his paws. Did she think he couldn't finish it himself? Shouldn't she be training? No... she was just being kind. He should be grateful of her help. "I guess," he said at last. :Stonepaw's mottled head snapped at his voice, making Creekpaw jump again, and she marched confidently across the clearing, disappearing through the camp entrance. He slowly followed, shivering, and he worried she would make more sudden movements. : :Stonepaw always kind of freaked him out. She seemed to become as still as a rock, then out of no where, make quick movements. Creekpaw hated it when anyone made sudden movements around him... it just.. freaked him out... But besides that, she seemed quite different compared to the other apprentices. She was very quiet, she seemed to be an outcast within her Clan, yet was respected, and the oddest thing yet was that she chose to walk alone. ''If I had a chance to have real friends I wouldn't pass it. '' :Stonepaw was sharp, and yet she always seemed lost in her head. She often stared at objects, other cats, or nothing, with distant eyes. Creekpaw thought she was inteteresting to watch, despite his fear of her. Well that sounded a little weird. *** :Stonepaw and Creekpaw took many trips back, until they at last finished. Creekpaw was just padding into the brambely apprentices den, when Redfur called him. Creekpaw inwardly groaned as he turned around and made his way over to his mentor. :"We're going on a patrol with Lavendersong, Flightpaw, and Talonpaw," Redfur grunted, trotting over to the camp entrance where the other three cats stood waiting. Creekpaw's heart lightened a little. :He was going on a patrol with his sister. They could speak to each other, at last! Creekpaw hurried over and joined them. "Took long enough," Flightpaw said, rolling his eyes, then followed Lavendersong as she squeezed out of the gorse entrance. :Redfur went after them, with Talonpaw close behind. "Hey, Talonpaw," Creekpaw meowed a greeting to the speckled she-cat. :"Hi," Talonpaw returned it coolly, without lifting her gaze from the ground. Creekpaw twitched an ear. "So what have you been... learning, so far?" he asked, falling into step with her. :Talonpaw shrugged. "Training," she replied shortly. Creekpaw's ear twitched again, and he nearly tripped over his own paws. Redfur swung his head around to glare at him. "Stay alert and quiet! Less talky, more worky," spat the russet tom, who quickly turned away and pricked his ears to listen to the forest. :"Oh, sorry," Creekpaw flinched, ducking his head, silently pricking his ears to listen. He focused on the noises. The leaves rustling high above their heads from a swift breeze, the swishing sound of bracken and grass as they padded through it, they soft song of birds, a nearby stream gurgling... :Creekpaw's attention swayed and he glanced back at Talonpaw, ears pricked toward her. His chest hurt from holding back a flood of words that threatened to spill over. He leaned close to her ear, warily giving the older warriors a sidelong glance. :"What ''kind ''of training?" he whispered loudly. Talonpaw didn't remove her gaze from her paws still. "''Battle ''training," she whispered-hissed back. :"What kind of moves have you learned?" :Talonpaw at last placed a seathing green glare on Creekpaw. He couldn't help but flinch at the cold fire in it. She leaned close to his ear, so that he could feel her warm breath on his fur and hear her voice echoing in it. :"The kind that kills cats who don't keep their mouths shut..." :Creekpaw's neck fur prickled with unease at the chilliness in Talonpaw's voice. She pulled away from him, giving him one last sour look, then trotted on ahead to walk at the head othe the patrol with the warriors. :Was she talking about him? No, she couldn't be! Why would she want to hurt him? Creekpaw gulped as he listed things he may have done to upset Talonpaw. :She had become distant lately, but he assumed it was training. Was she avoiding him on ''purpose? ''No, no. She must just be stressed, with all of her duties. She was also getting attention all day, so it must be tiring. Creekpaw felt relieved, but he couldn't shake off that lingering doubt. Talonpaw's eyes had looked so cold... her voice... not like herself... :A sharp pain in his cheek knocked him out of his thoughts. Creekpaw backed up, tripping over his own paws, terror alight in his eyes. "I asked you what you could smell!" Snarled Redfur, then Creekpaw realized he was so caught up in Talonpaw, he hadn't been paying attention to the patrol. Redur must have swiped him because he was annoyed. :"I-I...I-uh...um-uh," Creekpaw stammered. He couldn't seem to get himself to scent the air, it was as if he had forgotten how. He backed up agaisnt a tree trunk, then sunk to the ground, curled up and froze. :Lavendersong and Flightpaw stared at him as if he were an idiot, Talonpaw payed no attention, while Redfur hissed once more. But Creekpaw couldn't hear Redfur's sharp comment. There seemed to be too much noise... :He closed his eyes and covered his ears with his paws to hide from the other cats. He tried to count the seconds as they passed... :''One, two, three, four,five... :A surprisingly gentle paw moved his own paws away from his ear. "Creekpaw. Open your eyes, just sniff the air. You're fine," came the voice of Talonpaw close to his head. He obeyed, opening his eyes. :Lavendersong looked flustered, Flightpaw switched his gaze from one cat to the other, while Redfur was no where to be seen. "Where's Redfur?" Creekpaw asked in a small voice. :"He got pissy, had a tanturm and went off to who knows where," Flightpaw answered, looking like he was about to burst out laughing. "I swear smoke was coming out of his nose and ears! He was so angry!" :Creekpaw dropped his eyes to the ground. His mentor was mad at him. That wasn't good. How would Redfur punish Creekpaw for this? What happened to me anyway? : :More coming soon Category:Drama Category:Fan Fictions Category:Patchfeather14's Fanfics